updated 10:01 am EDT, Fri September 27, 2013

Flagship specs could be identical

A Chinese site, DoNews, is claiming to have photos of a gold-colored second-generation iPad mini with a Touch ID sensor. The authenticity of the photos is difficult to determine, but it's widely anticipated that Apple will bring the Touch ID technology to other devices as soon as it can, and the iPhone 5s is available in gold, silver, and space gray shades. Despite its luxurious look, gold is believed to be an easier color to produce than the black/space gray tones Apple has used since the iPhone 5.

Well-known leak source Sonny Dickson has meanwhile managed to procure a rear shell for the new Mini in space gray, as well as new information from sources. He backs notions that the tablet will get Touch ID, and adds that both the Mini and the fifth-gen 9.7-inch iPad will share the A7 and M7 processors found in the iPhone 5s. The only major difference in specifications is expected to be RAM: while the Mini should get 1GB of RAM like the 5s, the 9.7-inch iPad is allegedly stepping up to 2GB.

If authentic, the specs would be the first to bump the Mini up to a current-gen processor. The original Mini used an A5 chip, a generation behind the A6 in the iPhone 5 and the A6X in the fourth-gen iPad.

...when I think about color I keep asking about the fascia, which could be anything quite easily, or perhaps even adjustable, vs any color other than clear for high wear metal surfaces that can look terrible with a single scratch...? Thinking flower power iMac of years gone by, not literally of course, but more refined...